Donna Sherrill celebrated 38 years at City Light last month. As part of the Financial Services business unit, Donna works on the general accounting team. “I’m responsible for ensuring that billings for construction projects are generated promptly by the Accounts Receivable Billing team,” Donna explained. “I like to think of myself as an overall problem solver for complex billing issues.”
Originally from Sioux City, Iowa, Donna moved to the northwest with her family when her dad relocated for work. She currently lives in Tukwila and enjoys the diversity of its population and proximity to activities.
“I met my current husband, a lifelong Washingtonian when I was a sophomore in high school and we’ve been together ever since,” Donna said. “I love living on this side of the mountain with the comfortable summers and the generally mild winters. It’s nice to live somewhere with four seasons.”
In this week’s (spot)Light, Donna talks about her hobbies and why she enjoys working at the utility.
Donna is an avid reader and an active swimmer with
a penchant for a good book that’s filled with suspense and intrigue.
“I’m currently reading books by Lisa Jackson. Most of her stories take place in the Pacific Northwest.
Lisa has a vivid imagination and keeps you riveted to the end.
My mother never learned how to swim, so she made sure to have her children take swimming lessons (in a lake by the way) so we hopefully wouldn’t drown and could enjoy our summers.”
Donna graduated from business school with a degree in accounting and attributed her high school math teacher for her interest in numbers.
“Mr. Fulton instilled a love of numbers in me,” she recalled. “I knew I would always be able to find a job in the accounting/bookkeeping field to maintain a comfortable lifestyle.”
After being with the utility for nearly 40 years, Donna continues to enjoy the rewarding challenge of her work.
“My work requires addressing a list of challenges as they arise while determining how to resolve them,” she said. “I also enjoy meeting a variety of individuals throughout the city and discussing the internal and external concerns we face. It requires researching and analyzing the situation to find a solution. During my years in Accounts Payable, I determined a customer had been billing us monthly and quarterly for the same service. After discussing with the customer and obtaining a credit, quarterly billings were agreed to. It’s a joy to help our customers have a positive experience with City Light.”